Bring your questions, suggestions, and concerns to an
Open Forum with NEW SCF President,
Dr. Carol Probstfeld
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3rd * 12:30pm to 1:30pm
In the Fine Arts Gallery Bldg. 11 Rm. 125
(Backpacks not permitted in Fine Arts Gallery)
Stop by and check out what our clubs and organizations are up to. There will be FREE entertainment including “Make Your Own Bumper Stickers” and a “Cappuccino Cart, as well as a Chili Cook-off Contest.” SGA will be selling hot dogs and drinks to support the Single Parent Scholarship Fund.
You will find us in the Student Union Courtyard (east side of bldg. 14) from 10:00am to 1:00pm. See you there!
Come on by the Gillette Tailgate Shave Tour and get your FREE Gillette Fusion Proglide razor and test your skills with football inflatable games. You can even have your picture taken with NFL star Clay Matthews (display). The tour will be located on the lawn west of Bldg. 9, south of the Student Union (bldg. 14), and north of bldg. 11. Look for the tailgate tour truck beginning around 9:30am until 3:00pm.
Hello from the Office of Student Life.
Wednesday Oct. 17 & Thursday Oct. 18 from 10:00am – 12:00pm we will host an Alcohol Awareness event outside the Student Union (building 14).
There will be a drunk driver simulation obstacle course, representatives from the local law enforcement agencies and support services … we may even have some snacks.
Please come out to this event to learn some valuable information and have a little fun.
Be aware be safe!!!
This semester I elected to take SPC1608. For those of you that don’t know, SPC 1608 is a speech class. Most of the students in the course are taking it simply because they need to fulfill the General Education requirements for the AA Degree–but there are some students that chose to improve upon their public speaking skills on their own.
Regardless of the reason for taking the course, all students have one thing in common. We must all get in front of the class, and speak. Multiple times!
After discussing this with my classmates I came to the conclusion that not only myself, but everyone was nervous about this. We have no problem giving a speech to a family member or a friend, but when a group of fellow classmates is in front of us we freak! My professor has spent the first 4 weeks of this semester preparing us for the dreaded moment, and it seems as though it’s not really all that bad after all.
After coming up with my own presentation, making the slide show, rehearsing it, and stressing the entire time, I can speak from experience when saying “You can do it.” Last week I nervously gave my first speech in college, and it was actually quite fun! I will admit, I was very nervous, and I will probably be nervous when the next speech comes around… But it was a great learning experience and I think it is something everyone should try.
The first thing I learned would be practice. I rehearsed several dozen times, and I swore I knew my speech by heart.. (and I did.) When you get up in front of those folks and try to focus, it’s easy to get off topic and forget what you were supposed to say. Luckily, I have experience making powerpoints (or slide shows, if you will) so I was able to use that as a crutch to keep myself on track.
The second (and most significant) thing I learned when presenting to the class, is to bring water! I thought a bottle of water would be enough to get me through a 10-15 minute speech.. I was wrong. The bottle I had brought with me was gone before it was even time for me to start speaking! The reason you get to be so thirsty when it’s time to present, is because of adrenaline. Your body takes different priorities when your adrenaline is pumping, and keeping your mouth moist is at the bottom of the list. (This is related to the “Fight, flight, or freeze” theory, of which I can vouch is 100% accurate.) So, bring LOTS of water and be sure to drink it when you need to. It helps keep one less thing off of your mind while you are presenting, and it helps the audience understand you better when your tongue isn’t sticking to the roof of your mouth.
The third thing I learned about speaking publicly is that I’m not the only one who’s nervous. The audience knows just how I’m feeling when I’m in front of them, and informing them about a given topic. They aren’t there to try to embarrass me, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Your classmates are your friends, and they all want you to do well. So, you really don’t need to be worried in the first place. It’s not like they are all judges on American Idol, and your speech will determine whether you go to Los Angeles or not. Granted, you are being graded on your speech and overall performance, but it’s not something you will be judged on by thousands of people!!
The semester is quickly passing us by, and every day I am learning something new. The everyday experiences we have continue to teach us many things. I know now that my next speech will be a lot easier than the first one, and I believe that the more we are in front of people the better our experiences will be.
What are your experiences with Public Speaking? Drop me a line and tell me your story by emailing me at studentblog@scf.edu
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) Bradenton Veterans Collegiate Association and SCF Venice Veterans Exchange will host a Mobile Vet Center from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide free services for veterans and their families. The Vet Center will be on campus from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 2, near the Library at SCF Bradenton, 5480 26th Street West, and from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at SCF Venice, 8000 S. Tamiami Trail.
The Mobile Vet Center, which assists veterans in making the transition between military and civilian life, will provide community resource information and education, individual and group counseling, and referrals for substance abuse, sexual trauma, employment assessment and veterans’ benefits.
For more information, contact Dr. Paul Nolting, SCF Veterans Collegiate Association adviser, at (941)752-5239 or Rich McKee, Veterans Exchange advisor, at (941) 408-1517 at mckeer@scf.edu. Maps and directions are online at scf.edu/maps.
From the Office of Student Life -Venice Campus. Advisor of Student Life in Venice, Jeff Snyder wants everyone to know of an SGA sponsored event and opportunity for students.
What: Provost Student Forum
Who: Provost Darlene Welder-Johnson
When: WEDNESDAY SEPT. 26 1:00-2:00pm
Where: Building 800 – Selby Room (VENICE CAMPUS)
Why: Great opportunity to talk directly to SCF administration. Ask questions, voice concerns, praise progress, community gathering.
Wellness points awarded for attendance.
Hello from the office of Student Life. Wednesday Sept. 12 and Thursday Sept. 13 from 10am-1pm on the Bradenton Campus and 9am-1pm on the Venice Campus your SGA will be sponsoring Club Rush. This is a great opportunity to see what clubs and organizations are on campus as well as find out how to get involved in extra and co-curricular activities.
Come out have some fun and get involved with Student Life at SCF!!!
We will also be raising funds for our Single Parent Scholarship fund through food sales and donations.
Herschel Johnson – Coordinator of Student Life
Ah Labor Day. We all know it, and love it. It marks both the end of the precious freedom summer vacation brings, and the beginning of another year at school. Although we are already entering our third week of school this semester, there are a large number of students who have begun school today.
Personally, my summer break was well needed. I do hold a job, so it was not much of a ‘vacation’ per se, but it did give my brain a chance to recoup. I am now refreshed, and ready to learn. In fact, I have already learned quite a bit in only the first few classes.
The first few weeks can be extremely tough. Forcing ourselves back into the daily grind can be difficult, but it is possible. Thankfully, most students are able to make the transition quite well. Some tips to help get you back into the swing of things are:
These tips are pretty simple, and pretty easy to follow. Once you get into the groove, you’ll be back on track, learning, and loving every second of it! To be motivated will not only help yourself, but will also help other students understand and enjoy the material covered in class.
What tips do you have for succeeding in school? Shoot me an email with them, and I will include them in my next blog!
Gee, I hate to sound like a broken record, but just like Steve said, this week has been whoa with stress! Between the final projects, the preparing for finals, preparing for graduation, and juggling my various other commitments, I feel like I have been ALL over the place this week.
Go figure, the week that I have to make it to the graduation meeting and attend the Spring Fling (which was fab!), is the week my friend and co-volunteer at my Tae Kwon Do school has to take the week off in order to perform in her school play. So here is my master, expecting me to fill in for her, which put me in the position of sooo much driving back and forth from Bradenton to Sarasota and back and goodness gracious I felt like the biggest waster of gas ever. But I think it was worth it over-all. The Graduation meeting was helpful, I got myself switched into the 10:30 commencement ceremony instead of the 1:00 one because my cousin has to be in the 10:30 and we have ailing grandparents. And I definitely enjoyed the Spring Fling from last night, all of the groups performed beautifully. I hadn’t realized SCF had such an outstanding Jazz Ensemble!
I hope everybody is doing well, what with finals coming up next week and then our break before summer semester kicks in. Let us know if you’ve got any fun sort of plans? Any studying tips? I’m sure we could all use those, phew! Our email is studentblog@scf.edu!