Final exam week for Charleston Southern University begins Wednesday, December 9.

The CSU Learning Centre is offering free tutoring through December 7, 2009. The Learning Center, certified by the College Reading and Learning Association, provides academic and writing support services across the curriculum and is free to all students of CSU.

Exam week hours for QUIET STUDY ONLY:

• Tuesday, Dec. 8: 10 am – 4 pm; 5 pm – 11pm
• Wednesday, Dec. 9: 10 am – 11 pm
• Thursday, Dec. 10: 10 am – 11 pm
• Friday, Dec. 11: 10 am – 9 pm
• Sunday, Dec. 13: 5 pm – 9 pm

Contact The Learning Centre at CSU for more information at (843) 863-7091 or email Brenda Hanna.

By Megan Bruner

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
2. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
3. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
4. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
5. The Iliad by Homer
6. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
9. Night by Elie Wiesel
10. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin

(Books are in no particular order)

By Shelley Garrett

Freshman 15, two words that are known to haunt many freshman students.  Rumor has it that when students leave home and move in on campus, they tend to gain weight, hence the name “freshman 15.”

Many believe that the true culprit of the freshman 15 is the food served in the cafeteria.  So the question is whether or not these two dreaded words are just a myth or an actual fact?  If you’re a student who lives on campus, you have most likely gotten the opportunity to become well-acquainted with the cafeteria and the food they serve. 

Some students believe that many healthy choices are not provided and that it is because of the lack of healthy choices that the freshman 15 even exists. One upperclassman said, “I feel that the only option they give you to eat healthy is the salad. When they do serve fresh vegetables they taste as if they are loaded with butter.”

Another student said, “It is definitely not easy to maintain a healthy diet considering the only thing good to eat is usually the pizza and not so many healthy choices are given, especially on the weekends.” Some athletes even feel that is hard to maintain a healthy diet on what is served in the cafeteria.

One football player said, “I think the problem isn’t that they don’t serve healthy food; the problem is that they don’t have enough variety, and the food they do have doesn’t fill me up. I don’t get enough nutrients when I eat there so when I leave I feel as if I just go out and eat junk food.”

To other students, the cafeteria is great for helping them maintain a healthy diet and avoid weight gain. The caf gives plenty of choices throughout the day that satisfies each student’s particular nutritional needs. One freshman said, “Even as a picky eater I still feel like it’s easy to find something good and healthy to eat in the cafeteria.” Another student said that you can usually find something to eat in the cafeteria that is somewhat healthy.

Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the swinging double doors of the cafeteria? How much thought truly goes into what is being cooked for students? Are the menus planned out carefully or are they just slapped together?

While interviewing Billy Hicks, Executive Chef, I asked him his own personal opinions of the food served along with how the caf goes about planning meals for each month. Hicks stated, “We try to make each meal balanced. We do this by making sure that all food groups are met in each meal. We also have this new program called “Just for You.” This is where we try to bake, grill and steam foods instead of settling with fattening fried food. In order to maintain flavor without adding those extra calories, we use olive oil instead of vegetable oil or butter. There are many food stations available to students as well that host several different food options. For the veggie lovers who search for more than just a salad, we host a vegetarian station. On some days it may have vegetable lasagna, other days it may have steamed vegetables or even risotto.  Along with the vegetarian station, we offer stations like the dessert bar, a place to make smoothies, waffles, wraps and sandwiches, fruit, pizza and hamburgers. The students have plenty of healthy choices, it just all depends on whether or not they want to take advantage of them.”

The cafeteria staff seems to put much thought into every single meal that is cooked. If you are wondering how they decide what to cook each day it’s by a tool called a “menu builder.” It gives tons of options for them to cook. First they look through it and decide what meals they know students would not eat. Then they go back through and decide what meals would be best. They also look back at previous dates to see whether or not an item was successful or not.

Hicks also says, “We will try to accommodate everyone’s needs. Whether you are lactose intolerant or on a special diet, most of the options we have are very accommodating. If by chance we don’t have something students would like they can always make a request. Soon we will have at the stations nutritional information about each meal. This will help students known what types of foods are better than others. We are even looking into a “water bar,” a place that would have different types of fruit like berries, lemons, etc., for students to add to their water. We’re hoping that this may encourage students to lay off the soda and drink more water. It all truly comes down to this; 10 to 1 students go for the greasy cheeseburger over the vegetables. Students choose what they eat. Our job is to provide a variety of healthy options for students, whether they take it is their decision.”

The cafeteria also provides a menu online for each day. Along with the menu it also provides nutritional facts and information on allergies. If you are searching for more information, check out the Web site, http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSSE/CharlestonSouthern/.  So, is it possible for students to maintain a healthy diet while eating selections served in the cafeteria? Looks like you’ll just have to decide for yourself.

This is a list of majors that will give you the most money back to pay off all of those school loans (Assuming you can find a job in this rough economy)!

Some of the lowest paying majors offered at CSU include sociology (focused on social work), elementary education and music.  Want to find out the average salary of your major? Check the list.

Interested in a low paying major?  Find out ways to boost your income while still having a career you love, click here.

Joining thousands of other educators around the globe, Charleston Southern University future teachers, faculty, and leaders “Read for the Record” on Thursday, October 8th.

This international project builds literacy and unity, as children from many states and nations listen to the same book read aloud by guest readers, on the same day. This year’s selection was Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”.

Coordinated by Dr. Linda Karges-Bone and Professor Chris Frazier at CSU and Karen Stinson at Ladson Elementary School, the media specialist at this professional development site that partners with the university in teacher training, the event included lessons, stories, and fine arts activities all using the “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”.

Readers from the campus included Dr. Jim Colman, VP for Academics, Dr. Norma Harper, Dean of Education, Dr. Rick Brewer, Dean of Students, Dr. Marie Griffin, professor, Dr. Roland Bullard, and Coach Rachel Bullard, as well as dozens of other coaching staff, future teachers, Teaching Fellows, and athletes.

“Read for the Record helps us to share the message that reading is a celebration and a joy<’ said Bone. “Our presence and partnership at Ladson Elementary is one of the best gifts we can give to the community.”

For more information or to involve your school, visit readfortherecord.org

(Pictured above: Meghan Gore teaching a lesson for “Reading for the Record”)